Clutch and drive mechanism for ironing machines



Nov. 7, 1950 w. c. ERLER 2,529,247

CLUTCH AND DRIVE MECHANISM FOR IRQNING MACHINES Filed Aug. 27, 1947 4Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. WALTER C. ERLER ATTORNEY Nov. 7, 1950 w. c.ERLER 2,529,247

CLUTCH AND DRIVE MECHANISM FOR IRONING MACHINES Filed Aug. 27, 1947 4Sheets-Sheet 2 E 1 E E {I I I II l9 I I H63 I J 27 mu 23 5f INVENTOR.WALTER 0. ERL ER Nov. 7, 1950 w. c. ERL ER 2,529,247

CLUTCH DRIVE MECHANISM FOR IRONING MACHINES Filed Aug. 27, 1947 4Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR WALTER C. ERLER ATTORNEY Nov. 7, 1950 w. c.ERLER 2,529,247

' CLUTCH AND DRIVE MECHANISM FOR IRONING MACHINES Filed Aug. 27, 1947 4Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR. WAL TEE G. ERLER Y @Ww Patented Nov. 7, 1 950CLUTCH AND DRIVE MECHANISM FOR IRONING MACHINES Walter C. Erler, SouthBend, Ind., assignor to Bendix Home Appliances, Inc., South Bend, Ind.,a corporation of Delaware Application August 27, 1947, Serial No.770,814

1 Claim.

This invention relates to intermittent clutch and drive mechanism forironing machines and the mechanism comprising an embodiment of theinvention herein disclosed is an addition to the mechanism disclosed inco-opending application Serial Number 587,315,- filed April 9, 1945, inthe name of Arthur R. Constantine which produces an intermittent driveto produce limited rotation of a shaft for moving the shoe of an ironingmachine toward the roll.

I In that mechanism a so-called pin clutch connection is disclosed, withthe pin effecting theclutch connection extending through an eccentric orcam for shoe actuation, the pin being slidable into notches in a rotateddriving member. In order to actuate the mechanism to produce a camrotation of 180 degrees, the pin is engaged by a member which pushes itinto driving contact with the notched driving member.

However, the disengagement of the pin from the notched driving mechanismrequires special consideration since the force for removing the pin isgenerated by the rotation of the driven member which instantly stops itsrotation upon the withdrawal of the pin from the notch in the drivingmember. Thus there is no power remaining to pull the pin farther fromthe notch than the position it occupies immediately after it leavescontact with the notched member. Thus if special provision is not madethe pin is left projecting so close to the notched member that uponrotation it may strike or grate against the notched member, thus causingnoise and unnecessary wear.

It is therefore the primary object of this invention to provide means toeffect the positive withdrawal of a connecting pin to a sufiicientdistance away from a notched driving member to prevent further contactof the pin with the notched driving member.

It is another object to provide additional impetus to a pin to withdrawit from a notch after the initial force imparted to the pin by therotation of a driven member has become ineffective.

Still a further object of this invention is to provide a pin-clutchconnection with a minimum of noise and wear caused by unnecessarycontact of the pin with the moving parts therein The above and otherobjects and features of this invention will appear more fully from thefollowing more detailed description and by reference to the accompanyingdrawings forming a part hereof and wherein:

Figure 1 is an end view of an ironing machine with the plate removed toshow the driving mechanism thereof.

Figure 2 is a sectional view of the clutch mechanism, taken on the line2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional view of the clutch mech-'- anism taken on line3-3 of Figure 2.

Figures 4 and 5 are a side and end View respectively, partly in section,showing the positionof the parts of the drive mechanism when the shoe isaway from the roll but is ready to be moved toward the roll.

Figures 6 and 7 are views similar to Figures 4 and 5 but show theposition of the parts when the controls have been actuated to start theshoe towards the roll.

Figures 8 and 9 are views similar to Figures 4 and 5 and 6 and 7, butillustrate the position of the mechanism when the shoe has been moved toa position contacting the roll.

Figure 10 is an exploded View of the clutch mechanism showing the partsof which it is comprised.

This invention is adapted to be used in combination with an ironingmachine of the general type illustrated in Figure 1 of the drawings inwhich a rotatable padded roll I! is supported and driven from one end,with end support for the roll it and. housing for drive chains l2 and I3which transmit power to the roll ll being afforded by the casting 4. I yY Power for rotating the=roll- II and also for moving a shoe and tableassembly to and from an ironing position with respect to the roll H isprovided through a shaft 86 driven by a pulley l7. As shown in Figure 2,a portion of the shaft Hi is threaded to form a worm l8 which turns aworm wheel 19 shown in Figure 3. The worm wheel I9 carries a hub portion2|], with the worm wheel !9 and hub 20 forming an integral unit, to theend of which is secured a notched clutch driving member 2|. The wormwheel I9 and hub 26 are mounted for rotation upon a shaft 22, so thatwhen the worm I8 is driven from the source of power the worm wheel l9and the attached notched clutch driving member 2| are also rotated, andtherefore the notched clutch driving member 2i is rotating at all timesthat the driving motor is in operation.

Also carried on the shaft 22 is a cam member 23 which is free to rotateon the shaft 22 but which is prevented from axial movement by a snapring 24 held in place between washers as shown in Figure 3, and the headof the retaining screw 25 which fits into the end of the shaft 22 alsoshown in Figure 3. The cam 23 is ecsition corresponding to that whichlocates the ironing shoe I in its maximum normal position away from theroll H with the cam, 23 and the lever 29 remaining stationary. For thepurpose of connecting the cam 23 with the notched clutch member 2| a pin29 extends through the cam 23 at a position to be able to slide into oneof the notches of the clutch member 2|-on axial movement of thepin 29.This pin 29 is connected to one end of a pivoted lever 32 by insertionof a small cross pin 33 projecting transversely from the larger pin 29into a slot 34 in the pivoted lever 32, which slot 34 is sufficientlylarge to allow slight movement of the pin 29 without moving the ivotedlever 32. It can be seen that the end of the pin 29 which fits insidethe notched clutch member 2| is provided with a fiat tapered portion 39in order to insure a tight fit of the pin 29 in the clutch member 2|thereby minimizing the possibility of noise that might be caused bymovement of the pin 29 inside the slots of the clutch member 2|. Asshown in-Figure 3, the lever 32 is normally urged in a counter-clockwisedirection by a spring 35, and thus the pin 29 will normally be engagedwith the notched clutch member 2| unless the lever 32'is'held againstthe action of the spring 35.

In order to hold the pin 29 out of engagement and thereby hold the cam23 in a stationary positionas shown in Figures 4 and 5, an actuating arm33 having chisel shaped end 3'3 is positioned in the path of normaltravel of the ends 38 and 390i the lever 32 and is so shaped that uponrotation of the cam 23 which rotates with the lever 32, the chisel end3'! of the arm 36 will contact an end 33 of the pivoted lever 32 and bysuch contact will push theend 33 of the lever 32 in a direction to causethe cross pin 33 to pull the pin 29 out of engagement with one of thenotches in the clutch member 2|. e 1

It is to be noted that the opposite ends 39 and 39 of the lever 32 areadapted to contact opposite sides of the tapered chisel shaped end 3! ofthe actuating arm 39, but the result in either case is to,- pull the pin29 out of engagement with the clutch member 2|. The actuating arm 36 ispivoted upon a pin 45 and is normally urged in a clockwise direction asshown in Figure 1 by a spring 49. However, when the arm 36 is swungupwardly against the action of the spring 49 by means not shown here, aspring 35 will cause the lever-32 to swing in a direction to push. thepin into one of the notches of the clutch member 2|. In case it isdesired to move the cam 23 a half revolution, the actuating arm 33 willbe moved away from the end 38 or 39 of the lever 32 which it is thencontacting, and when the pin 29" makes contact it will cause the cam 23to rotate. Then, if the actuating arm 33 is permitted to drop down toits original position by the action of the spring 43, it will then beready torcontact the opposite end of the lever 32 as it swings around atthe next 180 degrees of rota- 4 tion. When the actuating arm 36 contactsthe opposite end of the lever 32 it will immediately pull the pin 29 outfrom contact with the clutch member 2| and stop the rotation of the cam23. It is apparent, therefore, that unless the actuating arm 33 ispulled out of its normal position, the end 31' of the arm 36 will be incontact within the next 180 degrees of rotation with one of the ends 38or 39 of the lever 32 and will cause the cam 23 to stop in one or theother of its maximum, positions, one of which is shown in Figures 4 and5 and the other in Figures 8 and 9. It will be noted that the maximumoscillating positions of the lever 26' correspond with the maximumpositions of the cam member 23.

A roundedgroove 49 encircles the central portion of the pin .29. In thecam 23 are located small metal balls 4| and 42 which are pressed againstthe pin 29 by their corresponding springs 43 and 44. When the pin 29 isengaged with one of the notches in the clutch member 2| the balls 4| and42 are pressing against the pin 29 at a point immediately adjacent tothe edge of the groove 40- as is shown in Figure 6. It is apparent thatwhen the chisel end 3'| of the actuating arm 36 comes in contact witheither end 33 or 39 of the lever32 and-the pin 29 is withdrawn from oneof thenotches in the clutch driving member 2|, the

driving force to move the pin 29 would immedi-' ately cease upon thewithdrawal of the pin 29 from the member 2| were it not for the actionof the-spring impelled balls 4| and 42.

cause unnecessary noise and wear. Figures 4 and 8 show the pin at itsmaximum distance away from the clutch member 2| with the balls 4| and 42resting'in the groove 49. The springs 43. and

44 which push against the balls 4| and 42 have the necessary resilienceto urge the pin 29 bycontact with the side of groove 49 and move the endof pin 29 away from the clutch member 2| as described, but they are alsoof a resiliency such as to be easily compressed to allow the pin 29'withdrawal of the pin 29 away from the clutch member 21 withoutnecessitating the movement of the lever 32 against the spring 35 anyfurther than it has already been pushed by the actuating arm 36.

Although this clutch and drive mechanism has been described incombination with the particular ironing machine shown in Figure 1, themechanism is adaptable for use with any ironing machine of the samegeneral type, and it is not in tended to limit the scope of thisinvention by that description or otherwise than by the terms of theappended claim.

I claim:

In a clutch mechanism, a driving member adapted to be mounted upon andto rotate with a shaft, a notched clutch member forming a part of saiddriving member, a cam member adapted to be mounted for rotation uponsaid shaft at a point adjacent said notched clutch member, a sliding pinmounted in said cam and capable of being pushed into one of'said notchesin saidv However, after the initial impetus has been given the-pin-v 29to withdraw it from engagement with the. clutch member 2|, the balls 4|and 42 are forced into the groove 49, thereby urging the pin 29' furtheraway from the clutch member 2| and. eliminating the possibility that thepin 29 maystrike or grate against the clutch member 2| and clutch memberin order to engage said cam with said driving member, a lever pivotallymounted upon the face of said cam, a cross pin extending transverselyfrom the end of said sliding pin, a notch in said lever into which saidcross pin on said sliding pin fits forming a loose connection betweensaid sliding pin and said lever in order that movement of said leverwill either push said pin into engagement with said clutch member orwill withdraw said pin from contact with said clutch member, a portionof said pin shaped to form a groove encircling said sliding pin, springpressed balls pushing against said sliding pin adjacent to said groove,said spring ressed balls being adapted to cause said pin to be withdrawnfurther away from said clutch member after the REFERENCES CITED Thefollowing references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,133,344 Walsh Mar. 30, 19151,935,234 White Nov. 14, 1933 2,045,572 Dow June 30, 1936

